PHOTO FOR THE DAY

The oh-so-lady-like Dru. Sometimes she really gets her sleep on and ends up in the oddest positions.

A HERO'S TAIL

This past weekend I spent quite a bit of time at Jamie's place, The Persistent Pup, aka Doggie Disneyland. Saturday morning we were there for greyhound playdate (photos of that later). Then a return trip Saturday night for the Halloween Fun-Raiser for her latest, and most excellent, project - A Hero's Tail. (the link will take you to their facebook page). Jamie (and partner, Heather) have started a (soon-to-be) non-profit that adopts pets from local Tucson rescues and trains them to be skilled companions for veterans with PTSD or TBI. They need donations to pay the fees associated with getting the animals (mostly dogs) ready to be  companions. Jamie, just finished training a puppy to alert the owner when he (the owner) was about to have a seizure so he can take his medication, preventing the seizure. They were recently featured on Tucson's morning show, The Morning Blend.

Least to say, we had a wonderful time. I was surrounded by dogs in costumes - a photographer's heaven. Here are a few of the photos from Saturday evening's festivities. Dogs in costumes! WOOT WOOT!

PUPPIES NO LONGER, SIGH

Remember the puppies? They're not so much puppies anymore. They've been continuing their training at Jaimie's. Beth has begun apprenticing with Jamie as a dog behavior trainer. Ava (top photo) is a shy girl but loves to jump and harass Roo. Roo (bottom photo) is very outgoing and into everything. Beth has been working quite a bit with them, as seen in Exhibits A and B, below.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

No one told Dillon the vampire fangs for his Halloween costume go on the upper teeth.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

My beautiful girl, Dru. Always watching me. Probably waiting for me to move in the direction of the snackies.

A LITTLE MORE HELP NEEDED FOR KISSA-BULL

Last year we posted about the tragedy surrounding the Houston Pittie Pack from the Kissa-Bull blog. The family suffered the unimaginable heartbreak of not only loosing their house in a fire, but 5 of their 7 dogs. Sandra has done incredible work in helping remove the absurd stigma associated with the Pitt Bull breed. The interwebs did good things and helped out the family in their time of need.

The family needs a bit more help. They almost lost the house again this month. To (very poorly) sum up: The insurance only covered a certain amount and the re-build on the house has taken 10 months. The family has been trying to make two rent payments (one for their rental and one for the mortgage on the unfinished house). With complications during pregnancy, Sandra was put on bed rest. Payments fell behind and the bank said they were going to foreclose.

Between a new chip-in account, moving into a garage and selling everything they own, the family managed (this weekend) to make the payment so the foreclosure would not progress. That’s the good news. Thank you pet blogging community!

However, if you read that last paragraph closely, you will notice they had to sell everything they own. The chip-in account is still active until the end of the month. How about heading over and donating just a little? (Or a lot would be OK, I’m sure.) Let’s give them a cushion until the house is complete and maybe a bit extra for them to get new dog beds when they move in. In the past year, I’ve not learned how to put the chip-in widget in my blog, so if you will follow this link, you will find the chip-in page and more information. Thanks all for helping out.

DEADLY SINS

It is a good thing today is Sunday, for I have some repenting to do. I can’t tell you how prideful I am that I managed to capture, in a photograph, even a portion of the delicate string of drool that extended 18 inches from slack-jawed mouth hanging off the side of the couch to the soon to be shinny clean floor. That's my boy, providing for one of the more challenging photo shoots yet. So proud of him as well. Sniff.

DOGGY DISNEYLAND

We've been going to our friend, Jamie's, new private dog park for greyhound running time. Oddly, they spend less time running at Jamie's, but are more exhausted when they get home. Could it be that we spend most of our time on the agility equipment? Hmmmmm. Willow, in particular, will try just about anything. She will do anything for a snacky treat. Including jumping through a hula-hoop, climbing hay bales and crossing railroad ties. Yay!

 
Please join us for the Saturday blog hop! WOOT!

THE NOT-SO-NEW-BOY, ANGEL

I’m not sure I can call the new boy The Rookie still, though he is certainly a newbie. He is goofy, awkward and adorable. He loves to chase the other dogs at playdate, though can never catch them. Even more so, he loves to do his own thing and spends much time patrolling the perimeter. Not in any watchdog sort of fashion, just wandering around checking things out.

And, of course, peeing on anything that is stationary. And things that are not stationary; oh, say, Willow, for example. I’m not sure why I am even surprised anymore when she moseys over to me in between her diligent bouts of organizing the other dogs at the park, to present her brindle patches intermixed with a few new fashionable yellow ones. I’ve taken to carrying paper towels with me.

(And may I just take a moment to say, “Thank you inventor of cargo pants”! Nail trimmers, poop bags, phone, keys, camera (of course), flashlight, kitchen sink all tucked into pockets. Sheesh, you would think I were preparing for a natural disaster. Nope, just an early morning trip to the dog park.)

So anyway, back to the leg lifting, apparently, this is what boys do. Though I must, not so guilty, confess to encouraging him when he does the chicken scratch, fling dirt in a 3 mile radius thing, after he has stopped the flow. The first time he did it, he did so with such force and vigor, he propelled himself forward about 3 feet. Heh. My laughing at him is making up for the number of times I’ve washed Willow’s head free of pee.

He’s rather intelligent, and surprised me last weekend when we were at our new playdate location – Doggie Disneyland – and he took to the obstacle course like a greyhound to a couch. In no time at all was playing king of the mountain from the lofty height of two hay bales, accessed by crossing a railroad tie. Woot!

He does snuggle with me on the couch and sleeping arrangements have been permanently modified to accommodate him stretching out across the bed as though he were doing yoga.

At least he no longer tries to share my pillow. That sudden wake up did not go well for either of us. He couldn’t figure out how one human could squeal like that. I couldn’t figure out, in those first few moments of semi-consciousness, as I rolled my head over to the bellows heating up my ear, what the hell the fire breathing dragon was doing trying to scorch me with air from two flaring monstrous nostrils and forked tongue challenging me from between rows of menacing teeth. A sudden snap to fully alert was accompanied by said tongue returning into a mouth which then attempted to rehydrate it through much smacking of lips. The resulting pool of drool on the pillow provided enough depth for the Olympic diving team to work with.

I had to get up and pretend I was going into the room that contains the s – n – a – c – k – i - e – s, so he would get down forfeiting his prime pillow real estate and I could reclaim my sliver of the bed. Devious, I know, but effective. And, I will admit there was cackling as I gleefully hopped back into an empty, for long enough to realize there was not going to be a tasty treat, bed.

Re-reading that last sentence, I realized I probably should limit the bragging and not be so proud of outsmarting a dog. Which was then, promptly followed by the confirming thought that I OUTSMARTED A GREYHOUND COMFORTABLY ENSCONCED IN A BED and the wave of proud washed over yet again. The deluge flooding my senses with the expectation I can accomplish anything. Including, possibly, teaching him to pee on something other than Willow.

BY ROYAL DECREE

Willow, the reigning queen of Greylandia, has decreed posts to the Cult blog commence again immediately, or there will be much whining and a withholding of all snuggles. Her human slave has deemed it in her best interest to comply, post-haste.

Her Royal Majesty, Willow, surveying her domain.